Monday, September 24, 2012

......in Australia's Northern Territory, a World Heritage listed national park, renowned for its diverse environment, an amazing array of wildlife, and stunning Aboriginal rock art.

Female Darter hanging its wings out to dry after diving for fish. They are not waterproofed as ducks are, and sometimes are too water-logged to take off and can easily be approached.

Climbing to view Aboriginal rock paintings........in 104 degrees! Wet season is imminent - not a drop of rain here since last March!

'Red Water Lilies' along the Yellow Water..................

...........where we also saw many large saltwater crocodiles, the ones that can open their huge jaws and take a person for lunch! When the sightseeing boat we were cruising on was stuck for a short time, caught up in some weeds, we hoped they wouldn't approach too close as they can jump out of the water at tremendous speed!

Heading home across the Pacific Ocean. It's been another wonderful trip, quite tiring, very hot, very humid, very exciting!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

........this is a freshwater crocodile, probably about 8 feet in length, sunbathing along the Ord River yesterday afternoon. When our high speed sightseeing boat pulled up on the river bank and set up lunch on the picnic tables, I was a wee bit nervous! However, these crocs, unlike their saltwater cousins, are apparently shy around people, and cannot open their narrower jaws to eat them - they would break - so perhaps being a larger person is safer around these waters!

Today I'm crossing the ocean to the island of Timor - the water is quite flat so no sea sickness meds. required - hooray!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

My FAVORITE THING for this Saturday is the lovely plant I added to the urn. I hesitated buying it because I would be leaving home for Australia and be unable to care for it for a few weeks. Now I'm here, thousands of miles away, and worrying about whether it's getting watered properly.............Bob this is a hint!

This plant came nameless! Just a generic tag with the usual care instructions. I love the tiny succulent type leaves and the way they drape. I usually steer clear of house plants because I don't have much direct bright light, but I just wanted something green and fresh looking on that French table.

I may not be able to link to Claudia's blog,Mockingbird Hill Cottage, today as Internet is sporadic. I will post this anyway...............and hope you stop by Claudia's.

Last evening we took a Zodiac ride to view crocodiles and birds at low tide. This was what we saw as we rounded the cliffs and headed back to Orion, just visible in the distance! Another breathtaking Western Australian sunset.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

What do people do on Cable Beach in Broome, Australia at sunset? If lucky, they ride camels as we did! What a wonderful experience - it was awesome!

Internet not great here on the ship, and of course very expensive - can't post a lot but just want you to know everything is going so well and we are now enjoying our third day on the ship sailing the Kimberley region. Think whales, swimming holes without crocs - thank goodness, waterfalls, great food, lovely people.......and very hot!

Saturday, September 8, 2012

The week before I left on this trip 'down under', we were very busy having work done around the house. Our aging washing machine required a replacement valve to correct leaking, the even older telephone land line underground need examination and was found to need replacing to rectify the awful buzz during conversations....always something to fix around the home, right?

..........and one of my most favorite things ever, my gazebo, fast aging to a silvery grey, was treated to a power shower and a new stain of bright cedar. The week prior, the Ipe wood deck was power washed and sealed as it was really looking sad and dingy.

This is how it all looked when I left for Australia............bright and clean, ready for outdoor dining this Autumn. We also decided to replace the outdoor furniture, the old set was so heavy to move, with chairs requiring cushions which were a pain to store in bad weather. My favorite thing in my garden - my screened Victorian gazebo.

Be sure to visit our hostess Claudia for our FAVORITE THING on Saturday over at her delightful Mockingbird Hill Cottage.

Apologies regarding not being able to visit with you or commenting......while on the ship in Australia the Internet service is slow and very expensive! I may not be able to say hello today but will catch up when home again.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

This was yesterday in the Bay area, an overcast day with late gentle afternoon showers, a couple of flashes of evening lighting, and one clap of thunder. Very different from North Carolina storms with lashings of rain, massive, booming light shows across the sky, and sometimes frightening winds of hurricane strength.....and worst of all hurricanes themselves! I don't think I've ever been here in San Francisco in the rain - it had been 93 days since rain had fallen here! Looking out across the water from Paula's sunroom, a line of sailboats scurried homeward, white sails puffy in the breeze, as huge raindrops fell past the windows.

Today is beautiful and I sat outside for a little while. The sun is hot, just a few wispy clouds off in the distance toward the Sierra Nevada Mountains.Today, Paula and I are finishing up our packing - bags are everywhere - and tonight we head to the airport and will be on our way to beautiful Australia.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Today I fly away.Three and a half hours to Dallas, another three and a half hours from there to San Francisco. After the always fun stay at Paula's house for two nights, we'll have a brief flight to Los Angeles to board our plane for Sydney Thursday evening.......a very long fifteen plus hours when we plan to pull on those welcome Quantas PJ's they hand out, lie flat, and sleep our way to the other side of the world! That's not the final destination though, on to another flight of five plus hours to reach the town of Broome on the west coast of Australia. By then the beach is going to look mighty tempting...........and I think we're going to be doing something quite different during our brief respite there before boarding ORION. NO, I'm not taking up surfing.......too many sharks, and I won't be basking on the sand in the expected 90+ degrees! MANY THANKS for all your good wishes for this trip. Hope to be here again soon - I'll post when I can.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

............there is little time for celebrating the end of Summer and Labor Day.

.......I made fig jam - thanks Bob for doing all that picking and suffering the mosquito bites so I didn't have to. I trimmed shrubs, and weeded. I packed clothes - several times until I got it right, hopefully! Chose jewelry - when evening comes on board ship a plain tee needs a bit of bling. Had a lunch out with granddaughter Jasmin and her cute and very polite boyfriend. Yes, Jasmin now has a boyfriend, she will soon be sweet 16!

Australia is calling - I'll have tomorrow to tie up loose ends then off to California on Tuesday. Perhaps I'll have time to BREATHE DEEPLY - Appreciate the Moment. Great words seen recently on the wall of the mall.

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR is a fresh version of my former three year blog ACROSS THE POND which can still be accessed by clicking on the title above.I'm a transplanted Brit enjoying life in North Carolina.

Fifty five years of journeying back and forth across the wide Atlantic Ocean have kept me busy…….and made my life very interesting! Although I've now visited all seven continents, I continue to travel and look forward to sharing new places around the world.I love taking photos! All images are my own unless noted otherwise. Please do not use my photos without a request. I enjoy sharing and will usually say OK!

Malaysia 2012

Singapore 2012

Hawaii 2012

Hoi An 2011

Vietnam 2011

Chiang Mai 2011

Bangkok 2011

TASMANIA 2011

Australia Nov. 2011

Expedition Cruising 2011

M/V Orion

Sub-Antarctic 2011

King Penguins

My African Safari...May 2010

The Lion

Africa 2010

The Leopard

Africa 2010

Remembering Africa - 2010

Lassen National Park, California

Thanks so much for reading along this far……if you've enjoyed my tales and photos and would like to see more, click on the Older Posts button, or the photo thumbnails above to take you back…there are awesome countries and exciting adventures. If you love to decorate your personal space, dig and delve in your garden, and turn out tasty morsels from your kitchen..........you're at the right place!